Often, people back in the USA ask me- what is it like in Spain? That of course is a hard question to answer. At this point, I have lived here over 4 years plus 5 summers, however, there are some things no matter how long I live here I'll never quite get used to. On the other hand, there are some things that I have adapted to quite well.
Space
First of all, things are much smaller here in Spain. Everything. From meal portions, drink sizes, to cars and homes everything is smaller. For example, for the past three years I have lived in a 376 sq ft studio 35sq m). It was ok for me until I got married- sharing 376 square feet with someone is kind of hard. We have now moved into a bigger place, and by bigger I mean 540 sq ft (50m sq)! To us it seems huge! I must point out that most cities in Spain whether large or small have large block of buildings that people live in. It's kind of like apartments. On each floor there might be between 2-6 other apartments. If you want to have an actual "house" you need to go to the suburbs- but that would be about an hour away here in Madrid. You can find bigger apartments here in Madrid, but rent is expensive and we pay more for our one bedroom than what a three bedroom apartment would cost in Indiana!.
Siesta
When I first came to Spain in 2003 I had read about "siestas" but thought it was something of the past. No- even in 2012 it is still alive and well. Normally between 2-5 p.m stores close. A typical shop will be open from 10-2 and re open from 5-8. In Salamanca I got used to this, but here in Madrid it surprises that in the big city many stores still close during this time. Some stores do remain open, but not all. What exactly is a siesta- it's a short mid-day nap. You see lunch time in Spain is anywhere between 2:00p.m-3:00p.m. After lunch, some people might take a short nap before heading back to work. In recent years this is changing and some people work a more "American schedule from 8-5, 9-6....Jorge for examples starts work at 8 and finishes at 5.
August
August is vacation month in Spain. During this month many Spanish people head to the beach, mountains or their hometown. One difference between the USA and Spain is that since many people go on vacation in August, many places close for the entire month! I was trying to make an appointment for Jorge as he has been having some muscle pain in his back. I spent over an hour calling places only to find out they are closed the entire month. At night we go walking and have come across many restaurants that are closed for the whole month- others for 2 weeks. Spain right now is suffering a horrible crisis and it surprises me that people still take a month long vacation despite the circumstances. But one thing I have learned here is that traditions are very important and almost a sin to break.
Transportation
When I lived in Indiana I used my car to go everywhere. The last time I drove was in April- when we were in Puerto Rico. Here in Spain my main form of transportation is by walking or taking the bus and subway. The transportation system here is actually pretty amazing, even in small towns. Spanish cities and towns are well connected by buses and trains and once in the city have city buses that take you everywhere. Also, taxis are not overly expensive as in the USA. A few months ago we had talked about buying a car off of one of Jorge's friends- one of the main reasons being it was automatic and automatic cars are hard to come by here!! After much consideration we decide not to- Where would we keep it? We would have to rent a parking space ( over 100 dollars a month). Also, inside the city parking is hard to find- we would probably use it only to go outside of Madrid. We decided to postpone our car purchase for a little while. Many people use scooters and motorcycles to get around town- Jorge's dream would be for us to get a scooter or motorcycle- but that dream is just going to have to wait.
Laundry
The other day upon reflecting on my time here, it dawned on me that I have not used a dryer (except for my visits to the USA) in over 3 years. Most homes do not come with dryers. My wash machine is in the kitchen- at the last house it was in the bathroom. You can buy a dryer, but where would I put it? There is no room. So most people line dry their clothes. At first this was a bit difficult for me to get used to, but now it's just a part of life. That said, I have let Jorge know that if we are still living in Spain when we have kids, we are moving to a place where I can have a dryer. Line drying our clothes is one thing, but I can't imagine line drying a whole family's worth of laundry! However, many people here do it, so I know it can be done.
My list could go on and on, and perhaps at another time I will explain some other differences. Every country has it set of challenges, the important thing is to keep an open mind and just go with the flow- sometimes that is easier said than do.
Space
First of all, things are much smaller here in Spain. Everything. From meal portions, drink sizes, to cars and homes everything is smaller. For example, for the past three years I have lived in a 376 sq ft studio 35sq m). It was ok for me until I got married- sharing 376 square feet with someone is kind of hard. We have now moved into a bigger place, and by bigger I mean 540 sq ft (50m sq)! To us it seems huge! I must point out that most cities in Spain whether large or small have large block of buildings that people live in. It's kind of like apartments. On each floor there might be between 2-6 other apartments. If you want to have an actual "house" you need to go to the suburbs- but that would be about an hour away here in Madrid. You can find bigger apartments here in Madrid, but rent is expensive and we pay more for our one bedroom than what a three bedroom apartment would cost in Indiana!.
Siesta
When I first came to Spain in 2003 I had read about "siestas" but thought it was something of the past. No- even in 2012 it is still alive and well. Normally between 2-5 p.m stores close. A typical shop will be open from 10-2 and re open from 5-8. In Salamanca I got used to this, but here in Madrid it surprises that in the big city many stores still close during this time. Some stores do remain open, but not all. What exactly is a siesta- it's a short mid-day nap. You see lunch time in Spain is anywhere between 2:00p.m-3:00p.m. After lunch, some people might take a short nap before heading back to work. In recent years this is changing and some people work a more "American schedule from 8-5, 9-6....Jorge for examples starts work at 8 and finishes at 5.
August
August is vacation month in Spain. During this month many Spanish people head to the beach, mountains or their hometown. One difference between the USA and Spain is that since many people go on vacation in August, many places close for the entire month! I was trying to make an appointment for Jorge as he has been having some muscle pain in his back. I spent over an hour calling places only to find out they are closed the entire month. At night we go walking and have come across many restaurants that are closed for the whole month- others for 2 weeks. Spain right now is suffering a horrible crisis and it surprises me that people still take a month long vacation despite the circumstances. But one thing I have learned here is that traditions are very important and almost a sin to break.
Transportation
When I lived in Indiana I used my car to go everywhere. The last time I drove was in April- when we were in Puerto Rico. Here in Spain my main form of transportation is by walking or taking the bus and subway. The transportation system here is actually pretty amazing, even in small towns. Spanish cities and towns are well connected by buses and trains and once in the city have city buses that take you everywhere. Also, taxis are not overly expensive as in the USA. A few months ago we had talked about buying a car off of one of Jorge's friends- one of the main reasons being it was automatic and automatic cars are hard to come by here!! After much consideration we decide not to- Where would we keep it? We would have to rent a parking space ( over 100 dollars a month). Also, inside the city parking is hard to find- we would probably use it only to go outside of Madrid. We decided to postpone our car purchase for a little while. Many people use scooters and motorcycles to get around town- Jorge's dream would be for us to get a scooter or motorcycle- but that dream is just going to have to wait.
Laundry
The other day upon reflecting on my time here, it dawned on me that I have not used a dryer (except for my visits to the USA) in over 3 years. Most homes do not come with dryers. My wash machine is in the kitchen- at the last house it was in the bathroom. You can buy a dryer, but where would I put it? There is no room. So most people line dry their clothes. At first this was a bit difficult for me to get used to, but now it's just a part of life. That said, I have let Jorge know that if we are still living in Spain when we have kids, we are moving to a place where I can have a dryer. Line drying our clothes is one thing, but I can't imagine line drying a whole family's worth of laundry! However, many people here do it, so I know it can be done.
My list could go on and on, and perhaps at another time I will explain some other differences. Every country has it set of challenges, the important thing is to keep an open mind and just go with the flow- sometimes that is easier said than do.
A lot of this sounds familiar!! Our siesta is 12-2 though, and I think we have 75 sq m. in our apartment. Also a nice thing we have here is a washer/dryer combo to cut down on space!
ReplyDeleteThis makes me miss Madrid! :) I'll be back before I know it.....time flies....cada vez mas!
ReplyDeleteI started a blog when I came to Spain 3 1/2 years ago, but I only got as far as putting up a picture. Haha. Good for you for starting one....better late than never :)